Acetylene-gas generator



(No Model.)

J. H. MORLEY. AGBTYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

No. 563,980; Patented July 14, 1896.

. .WW QIZ M UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JAMES H. MORLEY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRDTO THE MORLEY AOETYLENE GAS COMPANY, OF WHEELING,

WVEST VIRGINIA.

AC ETYLENE-GAS G EN ERATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 563,980, dated July 14,1896. Application filed October 24, 1895. Serial No. 566,691. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. MORLEY,a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement inGas-Generators, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanyingdrawings, for1ning part thereof.

My invention relates to apparatus for generatin g acetylene gas fromcarbide of calciumv for illuminating and other purposes, and the objectof the invention is to provide an ap-I paratus of simple and inexpensivecharacter, which will automatically restrict the amount of gas generatedto the amount actually used and which will so govern the supply of gasto a burner or burners as to produce a steady the supply of water to thegeneratingcham-.

ber. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the cam-lever which actuatcs the wasteor safety valve. Fig. 4 shows a slight modification in the apparatus.

Referring to Fig. 1, the numeral 1 designates a tank of any desiredshape and size, and 2 designates the receiver for the gas, whichreceiver has its open lower end sealed by water in the tank 1, withinwhich it is free to rise and fall in a manner common to gasholdersgenerally. A vertically disposed standard 3, preferably consisting of apipe or tube, is located adjacent to the tank 1, it bein g supported bybraces 4:, projecting from the tank or in any convenient manner, and thereceiver 2 is provided at its upper end with a laterally-proj ectin gbracket 5, which loosely embraces said standard, whereby the latterserves as a guide to steady the vertical movement of the receiver. Agenerating-chamber 6, in which is placed the carbide, has a pipeconnection with the interior of the receiver 2 to conduct the gas fromthe former to the lat Fig. 2 is ater, and I prefer to make suchconnection as shown, that is to say, by means of a short pipe 7, leadingfrom the upper end of cham her 6 into the pipe-standard 3, and a pipe 8,leading from said standard near its lower end, through the wall of tank1 and thence upwardly within the receiver. A gas-service pipe 9, alsopassing through the wall of tank 1 and upwardly into the receiver, andcontaining a valve 10, serves to conduct the gas from said receiver tothe point or points where it is utilized. Supported above thegenerating-chamber 6, preferably by means of a bracket 12, projectingfrom the standard 3, is a reservoir 13 for water, which reservoirisconnected with the chamber 6 by a pipe 14:, which pipe preferablyterminates at its upper end in a siphon, as shown by dotted lines.

The pipe 14 contains a valve 15, having an oscillating stem 16, which isextended, as shown, to a point adjacent to the tank 1 and has connectedto its outer end a cam-lever 17, (shown detached in Fig. 2,) which leverextends upwardly through a hole in the bracket 5 on the receiver 2 andis provided at the proper point in its length with a bent portion 18,whereby the vertical movement of the receiver and its bracket is causedto actuate said lever to open and close the valve 15. The sides of thehole in the bracket are pressed alternately against opposite sides ofsuch bent portion in the upward and downward movement of the reservoir,such alternate pressures moving the cam-lever 17 in opposite directionsand thus closing and opening the valve 15 at the required points in itsmovement.

At or near the upper end of the standard 3 is located avalve 19, thestem of which carries the cam-lever 20, (shown detached in Fig. 3,)which lever extends through anotherhole in the bracket 5 and is providedwith the bent portion 21, bymeans of which the movement of the receiveris caused to open and close said valve. Said valve 19 is awaste-valve topermit the escape of any excess of gas generated over and above theholding capacity of the receiver 2, and for this purpose the upper endof the pipe-standard3 will preferably have a pipe connection with achimney-flue I00 or other outlet to the open air. A valve 22, located inthe standard 3 between the branch pipes 7 and 8, enables the flow of gasto the receiver to be shut off at will or to be regulated as toquantity, as may be desired, and a drip-valve 23 at the lower end ofsaid standard provides for the withdrawal of any water which may findits way into the same.

It is a well-known fact that carbide of ealcium when brought intocontact with water instantly generates the gas known as acetylene gas,the amount of gas generated be-' ing directly dependent upon the amountof water used and the rapidity with which it is supplied, and that suchgas has a very high illuminating power, but the diflicultyheretofore hasbeen to so regulate and control the generation of the gas, relativelytothe amount consumed, as to render the use of the same commerciallyavailable in competition with coal and other forms of illuminatinggas.This problem I have successfully solved with the apparatus abovedescribed, the operation of which is as follows:

The tank 1 being partially filled with water, as represented in Fig. 1,so that the lower end of receiver 2 is immersed therein, the requisitequantity of carbide being placed within the chamber 6 (which chamberwill be made readily detachable from its cover, by screw-threads orotherwise, for the purpose) and the reservoir 13 being partially filledwith water, (for which purpose it will be provided with a suitableopening at its upper end,) the apparatus is ready for use. In the lowestposition of the receiver its bracket 5, through the action of cam-lever17, retains valve 15 in its fully open position, and the water thusadmitted to chamber 6 by coming in contact with the carbide in thelatter causes the generation of the gas, and valve 22 being opened thegas passes through pipes 7 and 8 and the standard 3 into the receiverand, by filling it, causes it to rise. As the receiver rises itgradually closes valve 15 by its action on the cam-lever 17 until, bythe complete closure thereof, the supply of water and the furthergeneration of gas is stopped. If new valve 10 be opened and the gaslighted at the burner or burners to which it is conducted by theservice-pipe 9, the consumption of the gas in the receiver will cause adescending movement of the latter, which movement, by its action on thecam-lever 17, partially opens valve again and permits a few drops ofwater to descend to the carbide and thereby causes the generation ofmore gas, any excess of gas generated over the amount consumed againcausing the closure of said valve, and so on indefinitely, the apparatusautomatically regulating the generation of gas to correspond with theamount used until the generating capacity of the carbide is exhausted,when a fresh supply thereof must be introduced into the chamber 6.Should the supply of waterin the reservoir13 become exhausted, the watercontained in the bend of the siphon at the upper end of pipe 14: acts asawater seal to prevent the escape of the gas through said reservoir, sothat all danger of contaminating the air of the room in which theapparatus is located by escaping gas is obviated.

If for any reason any considerable amount of gas in excess of the amountconsumed should be generated, the continued upward movement of thereceiver caused thereby carries its bracket 5 into contact with one sideof the bent portion 21 in lever and opens the waste-valve 19, therebypermitting the surplus gas to pass olt into the open atmosphere or intoan auxiliary receiver, if desired, and doing away with all danger ofexplosion from such cause. The bracket presses against the opposite sideof the bent portion 21 during the descent of the receiver and thusreverses the motion of the lever 20 and closes the said waste-valve.

As a matter of convenience I sometimes provide the apparatus with anauxiliary generating-chamber, so that as soon as the carbide in onechamber is exhausted the water supply can be diverted into the secondchamher, and thus avoid the necessity of stopping the burning of the gaswhile the supply in the first chamber is being replenished. Suchmodification is illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, in which the twochambers 24 and 25 are shown as being connected with the pipe 26 bymeans of valves 28 29, respectively. The pipe 26 forms a T with a shortpipe 27 extending downwardly from the reservoir 13, but having nocommunication at its upper end with said reservoir, and a pipe 30 leadsfrom said pipe 27 into the standard 3. The water-pipe 14: has its lowerportion located within the pipe 27, as shown by dotted lines, whereby itis adapted to conduct the water from the reservoir to pipe 26 andthrough the latter to the chambers 24 or 25 without interfering with thepassage of the gas in the reverse direction, through said pipes 20, 27,and 30 to the standard 3, and from thence to the receiver, as in theform first described. The valve 15 serves to open and close the passagethrough pipe 14:, as previously described, its stem 16 passing throughthe shell of the outer pipe 27 for such purpose, while the annularpassage within the latter pipe remains constantly open for the passageof the gas. It will be apparent from an inspection of the said Fig. 4.-of the drawings that, the two chambers 24. 25 being supplied withcarbide, either of said chambers can be utilized to generate the gas, asin the first-described form of the apparatus, by opening its valve 28 or29, and that when the carbide in said chamber becomes exhausted theother chamber can be at once thrown into action without interrupt-ion tothe service supplied by the apparatus. In this manner a continuousservice can be secured, the exhausted chamber being recharged withcarbide while the other chamber is in operation.

Apeteock 31 at the upper end of the re IIO ceiver 2 serves to permit theescape of air from the receiver when the apparatus is first set inoperation.

The equalizing action of the receiver upon the gas fed to the burner orburners secures a steady and even flame regardless of the amount of gasconsumed and the frequency of the movements of valve 15 to admit moreWater to the generating-chamber.

An important feature of my invention lies in the fact that by utilizingthe cam-shaped lever to actuate the water-governing valve, by thecontact of said lever with the vertically-movable receiver, I am enabledto accurately govern the supply of water to the carbide for the smallestunit of light, say fivecandle power, and also for the greatest unit oflight for which the machine is designed, without any change in theapparatus itself, the amount of water supplied and the amount of gasgenerated corresponding in all cases with the amount of gas consumed.

By thus providing an apparatus which automatically restricts the amountof gas generated to the amount consumed, and at the same time secures asteady and uniform pressure upon the gas delivered through theservice-pipe, I render it possible to use acet; lene gas as anilluminant under precisely the same conditions that now attend the useof coal and other gases, while the light produced is of a very muchhigher candle-power.

The apparatus herein described can be made of any desired size andcapacity, and the gas produced thereby can be used for illuminating orpower-producing purposes, as may be desired.

Various modifications in the details of construction herein shown anddescribed can be made within the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a gas-generating apparatus, the combination, with a suitable tankand Watersealed gas-receiver vertically movable within said tank, of agas-generating chamber hav ing pipe connection with said receiver, awater-reservoir located in a plane above said chamber and having pipeconnection therewith, a valve having oscillating stem and governing thepassage of water from said reservoir to said chamber, a lever projectingfrom one side of said valve-stem, and provided with a bent portion, anda bracket upon said receiver loosely embracing said lever and pressingalternately against the opposite sides of such bent portion in theupward and downward movement of the receiver, to close and open the saidvalve, substantially as herein set forth.

2. In a gas-generating apparatus, the combination with avertically-movable gas-receiver, of a gas-generating chamber, pipeconnection between said chamber and said receiver, a source of watersupply connected with said chamber, a valve governing the passage ofwater to said chamber, a lever connected to the stem of said valve andcontaining at one point in its length a cam-shaped bend, a waste-valvegoverning the escape of gas from said receiver, a lever connected to thestem of said waste-valve and containing at one point in its length acam-shaped bend, and means on said receiver for loosely embracing bothof said valve-operating levers in such manner that the vertical movementof the receiver will cause a swinging movement of said levers by reasonof the bends in the latter, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with tank 1 provided with the gas inlet and outletpipes 8 and 9, of pipe-standard 3 communicating with said inlet-pipe 8,generating-chamber 6 having pipe connection with said standard, waterreservoir 13, valve 15 governing the passage of water from saidreservoir to said generating-chamber and having connected to the stemthereof lever 18 provided with a bent portion as described, and thevertically-movable receiver 2 provided with the laterallyprojectingbracket 5 which loosely embraces said lever 18 and presses alternatelyagainst opposite sides of the bent portion of the latter in the upwardand downward movement of the receiver, substantially as described.

4. The combination with tank 1, of the receiver 2 provided with thebracket 5, pipestandard 3 communicating with the interior of saidreceiver and provided with the valve 19 having connected to the stemthereof the cam-lever 20, generating-chamber (5 having pipe connectionwith said standard, reservoir 13, valve 15 governing the passage ofwater from said reservoir to said chamber and having connected to thestem thereof cam-lever 18, said cam-levers 18 and 20 be ing operativelyengaged by said bracket 5 on the receiver, and means for withdrawing gasfrom said receiver, substantially as set forth.

JAMES H. MORLEY. Witnesses:

WM. H. CHAPMAN, B. F. ARTHUR.

